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Guides for shift workers
Hours, pay and schedules explained with real numbers. Each guide is written by Asier Fernández and checked against the official rules it quotes.
How many work hours are in a year?2,080 is the usual answer, but 2027 has 261 weekdays: 2,088 work hours. Every year and month, plus the real yearly hours of 12- and 24-hour shifts.
1st, 2nd and 3rd shift hours1st shift usually runs 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2nd 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 3rd (graveyard) 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Common 8, 10 and 12-hour times and how night pay works.
Swing shift: hours and schedulesSwing shift is the evening shift (often 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.) or a schedule that swings between days and nights. Hours, pay and rotating swing schedules.
Time calculatorFree time calculator: add or subtract hours and minutes, find the end time of a shift that crosses midnight and convert minutes to decimal hours.
Hours calculatorWork out the hours between two times, including night shifts that cross midnight, minus unpaid breaks, in hours and minutes or decimal, with pay at your rate.
Time card calculatorFree weekly time card calculator: enter in and out times and breaks for each day, including night shifts, and get total hours, overtime over 40 and pay.
Military time chartMilitary time chart from 0000 to 2330 with the regular 12-hour time, plus a converter both ways. How to read and say military time, midnight and noon.
Hourly paycheck calculatorEstimate your 2026 take-home pay from an hourly wage: overtime, shift differential, Social Security, Medicare and federal income tax with the 2026 IRS brackets.
Salary calculator: hourly to yearlyTurn an hourly wage into a yearly, monthly, biweekly and weekly salary, for a 40-hour week or a 36, 42 or 56-hour shift schedule, with a table from $15 to $50.
Federal income tax calculator 2026Estimate your 2026 federal income tax with the new IRS brackets and standard deduction, including the overtime deduction, for single or married filing jointly.
Daylight saving time: when the clocks changeDaylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 2 a.m. in the US and October 25 in the UK. Every date to 2030, the law and night shifts.
Sleep calculatorFind the best time to go to bed or wake up in 90-minute sleep cycles, with a night shift mode for sleeping during the day. Based on CDC and NIOSH guidance.
How many weeks are in a year?A year has 52 weeks and one day, or two in a leap year. Why 2026 has 53 numbered ISO weeks, the week number of any date and what it means for paychecks.
Date calculatorCount the days between two dates (with weekdays) or add and subtract days from a date. Useful for notice periods, probation, leave and shift cycles.
Minimum wage by state (2026)The 2026 minimum wage in every state and DC from the US Department of Labor, the federal $7.25, daily overtime rules and a weekly and yearly pay calculator.
Baylor shift: the weekend nursing scheduleA Baylor shift is a weekend-only nursing schedule, usually two 12-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday paid at a premium. Hours a year, overtime and what to ask.
Clopening: closing and opening the next dayA clopening is closing at night and opening next morning. No federal law bans it; Oregon requires 10 hours of rest or time and a half. Your rights.
5-5-4 scheduleThe 5-5-4 schedule: 5 days, 5 off, 4 nights, 1 off, a 15-day cycle of 12-hour shifts for three crews. 50.4 hours a week on average. Calendar and math.
3-4-4-3 scheduleThe 3-4-4-3 schedule is 3 days on, 4 off, 4 on, 3 off: a 14-day cycle of 12-hour shifts, 42 hours a week. Weekends, overtime and how it differs from the 4-3-3-4.
12-hour rotating shift schedule with 3 teamsHow to cover 24/7 with three teams on 12-hour shifts: the 2 days, 2 nights, 2 off rotation, the hours it means (56 a week) and the overtime to budget for.
How many days in a row can you legally work?No federal limit on days in a row for adults. California bars more than six days in seven; Maine caps mandatory overtime. Rules for minors and drivers.
On-call pay: when on-call time is workWhen on-call time counts as paid work under federal law: on the premises or too restricted to use the time. Examples, night calls and 24-hour shifts.
Mandatory overtime laws for nursesWhich states limit mandatory overtime for nurses, with each statute: Washington, Minnesota, West Virginia and Maine. Exceptions and federal rules.
PTO on 12-hour shiftsPTO is counted in hours, so a 12-hour shift uses 12 hours of it. How many shifts off 80, 120 or 160 hours of PTO gives, how accrual works and how to stretch it.
24-hour shift schedule templateFree 24-hour shift templates for fire and EMS: 24/48, 48/96, Kelly, 24/72 and 1-3-2-3, with hours and a printable year for every platoon.
How many night shifts in a row can you work in the UK?UK law sets no maximum number of night shifts in a row. It limits night workers to an average of 8 hours in 24 and requires daily and weekly rest.
Southern swing scheduleThe southern swing rotates four crews through days, evenings and nights on 8-hour shifts: 7 on, 2 off, 7 on, 2 off, 7 on, 3 off. Hours, weekends and the calendar.
8-hour shift schedule with every other weekend offHow to build an 8-hour, 40-hour-a-week schedule with every other weekend off: the two-week pattern, how two people cover all seven days and the overtime to watch.
1-3-2-3 firefighter scheduleOne 24-hour shift, 3 days off, two 24s, 3 off: the 1-3-2-3 firefighter schedule. 56 hours a week with three platoons. Calendar and 7(k) overtime.
5-2-5-3 work scheduleThe 5-2-5-3 schedule is 5 days on, 2 off, 5 on, 3 off: a 15-day cycle of 8-hour shifts with three squads. Hours a week, weekends off and how it covers the week.
4-5-5 shift pattern (4/5/5/4/5/5)The 4-5-5 shift pattern is 4 on, 5 off, 5 on, 4 off, 5 on, 5 off: a 28-day cycle of 12-hour shifts. Two crews cover every day; 42 hours a week.
UTC time nowCurrent UTC time, what Coordinated Universal Time is and how far each US time zone is behind it: EST is UTC−5, PST UTC−8, one hour less in summer.
Eastern Time: EST and EDTEastern Time is EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) from March to November. Current time, the 2026–2028 change dates, conversions and where it applies.
Central Time: CST and CDTCentral Time is CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer, one hour behind Eastern. Current time, where it applies, Texas and conversions.
PST to ESTPacific Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Time all year: 9 a.m. PST is 12 p.m. EST. Hour-by-hour table, a converter and shift handover examples.
Figures are worked out from each cycle; rules checked against official sources on . How we calculate